Join me as I travel around the country to fulfill my goal of running a marathon or half marathon in each of the 50 states and the District of Columbia!

Thursday, February 10, 2011

My New Place: Before and After

I promise not to do this too often, but this post has absolutely nothing to do with running (other than to provide a reason as to why I haven't been on a run in the past week). I absolutely hate getting off track with my running schedule and ordering take-out, but I skipped a few runs and ditched my healthy cooking in order to accomodate Moving Day! (which when you do mostly by yourself turns into Moving Week).

Yumm. Thanks, Grace!
Feb. 1st was my switch from a Capitol Hill rowhouse with 2 roommates to a Logan Circle Basement apartment. My roommate Grace made me an awesome "goodbye cake" which I promptly ate for breakfast on moving day.

I moved into literally the smallest efficiency apartment you've ever seen. I dare you to find a smaller one...seriously. From my estimates I think it's about 130 square feet, and that's being generous.

The first task on move-in day was cleaning and painting. I would like to take this moment to say that I absolutely DESPISE flat paint. Thank God for my friend Amy or I would have been there for days painting coat after coat after coat...it was literally disappearing into the walls. We painted the white walls a khaki color. In the kitchen we used Behr's paint and primer in one (shade: urban mist) to cover up the terrible color we dubbed "Kraft Mac N Cheese" orange.

Painting and Booze...only way to go.
I look absoltely terrible. HaHa! 

I spent hours cleaning before and after move-in because I am in fact, a germ-a-phob.

Major Thanks/Shout Outs To:
Amy - Beer, tension rod, painting, and teaching me how to navigate Ikea
Grandma - Driving me to Home Depot and the grocery store
Boss/New Neighbor - Lending me painting supplies
Uncle Butch - Helping me move my furniture and wall-mounting my tv.




Here are the before pictures:

Kitchen - Before

True Life Contents of my Fridge: Gatorade, Beer, and Paint Rollers

Bathroom and Closet - Before

Bedroom/Living Area - Before

Here are the after pictures:

The entire 130 square feet I call home :)

Bye-Bye ugly/broken pastic shade. Hello cheap/cute target curtain.

View from the corner of my bed. Thank goodness Ikea makes foldable chairs and tables.

Yeah I know, my OCD for organization is an illness, but isn't it cute?!? 



Simple and Chic. Channeling my inner Martha Stewart (the designer side, not the insider trading side).

Gotta love Target.

NO space is unused in this apartment.



What a difference some paint can make...looks like a whole new kitchen!

 It might be a box, but it's my box. I really love having my own place, being closer to shops and restaurants, and walking 15 minutes to work instead of riding 40 minutes on a bus.



8 comments:

Angie said...

Hi Sam,
Its lovely. Good job. Hope you are happy there, I am sure you will be.
Love from all here in UK,
Angie xxxx

Hannah said...

Sam!
It's so cute (: I can't wait to see it in person!
Love and miss you girly,
Hannah Mowery!

LD said...

You have made the most adorable home!! I cannot wait to see it in person.

xxoo LD

healthy ashley said...

You did such a great job! I love it!

Anonymous said...

Sam, you could turn a shoebox into home! I love it!!... Though, I must admit, I liked the Mac N Cheese orange... :)

Tampa misses you!!!
-jfo

ps
when i'm a real person in the real world, we need to do the warrior dash. it's no marathon, but it looks really fun!!!

Kayla said...

Sam your apartment is super cute!!! I love it and I'll have to come visit and see it in person!

Lizzie G said...

Sam, great work! Send me an address so I can send some old fashioned snail mail your way. Next time I'm down we'll schedule a visit, I'll bring my own folding chair!

Stephanie F said...

Hey, I remember seeing this now! It is seriously so tiny! I can't believe you can get a workout goin' in there! Awesome.